Chapter 32: Saturn

(Bella's POV) "The Fire" by Bishop Briggs

My brother would never be hunted as a Saturno. He had a shot at a somewhat normal life. He might even get to grow up in a home with two parents. The past few days had already brought my mom and dad much closer again. Their future was in their hands, or it would be as soon as they were safe again. That was on me. I had to take Aro down.

When my parents and my new brother were settled, I sought advice from Marcus. While going on the defensive had seemed like the right choice at first, as it went against the crazed Saturno propaganda Aro had spread around the world, I had come to the conclusion it was the best way to lose the war. Marcus agreed. As long as Aro could keep us pinned down with random raids and dirty tricks, we were doomed. While it was an extreme and risky move, our only chance was one all-or-nothing siege. We had to take Volterra by storm or die trying. When we brought this plan to our allies, Mary and Randall opted out and fled. We wished them well and started planning.

"Obviously, we must attack at night. Zafrina, you have to keep the humans in the city under an unrelenting series of illusions, so they'll write off anything happening around them as part of a dream. The illusions will also keep Aro from harming them, any Guard attempting to grab lost to the illusions as well."

"Major, you won't like this, but you know you can't stay with Bella. Lysander, you need to morph into a Bella decoy. You'll stay with Jasper as long as the enemy seems to believe you might be the real Bella. Act like mates. Put on a convincing show."

"Kate, you need to stay with the real Bella as long as possible—yes, Garrett, you can stay with them too. We'll all stay together as long as possible, but there will come a point when we have no choice but to split up. Irwin, that's when you'll take Bella, Kate, Garrett, and Marcus directly into the castle. Others will follow, but they must enter the castle first. Before it's over, wolves will be running through the halls of Castello di Volterra."

That was an exhilarating thought.

"So we'll win?" Garrett asked. "Peter, Alice, do you both see the same end?"

"No," Peter and Alice said in unison.

"My vision goes blank when the wolves enter," Alice griped.

"But they must enter," Peter added. "I don't know how it'll happen, but even with Zafrina protectin' the humans in the city, human blood will be spilled in the castle. That's all I've foreseen. The blood, the wolves—I assume that'll be the tipping point."

Everyone fell silent, looking at one another, sizing each other up. It would come down to self-control. Would the wolves be the only ones immune at that critical point? Or would their scent overpower the scent of the human's blood, allowing everyone to remain focused? Typical Aro, really, taking an innocent human hostage to save himself. As for the wolves... I glanced at my new scar.

Paul and Jared were dead. Seven more wolves were lost, but I didn't know them well. I knew two were only twelve-years-old—Cora and Reagan had grown up together, neither of them reaching their teen years. Paul and Jared both left behind teenage imprints. Jared had imprinted on a sweet girl named Kim. Paul had imprinted on Rachel Black, Jacob's last living relative after the loss of Billy and Rebecca. If Jillian hadn't come along when she did... Jacob needed all the support he could get. Jillian wouldn't play much of a role in the final battle, and that was probably for the best. I'd already failed to save Jane for Jude. I'd never forgive myself if Jake lost Jillian because of me.

I made my way to my mom's room. Dad was in there with her, already wrapped around Mason's tiny little finger. I didn't want to worry them, but I had to see them one more time before I left.

"Bella, what happened to your arm?" Oops. My mom noticed that immediately, Mason sleeping comfortably in her own arms. Dad looked up from the book he was reading, concerned.

"Let's file that under 'things you really don't want to know,'" I said. "I'm fine, really. I don't even feel it anymore." Mom immediately dropped the issue, looking down at Mason. Dad closed his book and came closer. To his credit, he didn't ask about it again, not there in front of mom at least, but he did examine the scar closely. I could see in his eyes the moment he saw the teeth marks around the edges of the thick scar. His pupils dilated and he paled dramatically, his breath coming a little faster. I held his gaze and shook my head. 'Not in front of Mom. Not in front of Mom. Don't say it. Don't say it.'

I walked over to my mom's bedside, hoping to distract her until Dad pulled himself together. I bent to hug her and kiss her cheek before I sat down, bending lower to place the lightest of kisses on Mason's head. "Getting a little more comfortable here?" I asked my mom.

She smiled brightly.

"It's still a little unsettling⏤everything is so strange and different. You were certainly right about Rose. She's been wonderful. I do feel like I look terrible every time she's in the room, but I'm guessing that's how Charlie feels about Carlisle too."

"Hey!" Dad said in mock outrage. We all laughed.

"I used to feel the same way about all of them⏤scratch that, I still do. Everything looks different to me now. It's less overwhelming to look at them."

"It's different looking at you," Mom said. "You're overwhelmingly beautiful now too, but since you still look like you—I guess it's like looking at you through a different lens. As long as I don't look at your gold eyes, I can still see my baby girl in you… Of course, I feel horrible about leaving you to deal with all this alone, and I'm worried about Mason now. I just—" she giggled nervously, a couple tears spilling from her hazel eyes—"oh, I don't even know what I'm saying!"

"There's this vampire named Jane," I offered. "She isn't here. We met a while ago, and she didn't really have any friends. Everyone I spoke to about her was afraid of her, but I saw something different. She's older than most of the vampires here, but she was changed very young, and when she let her guard down around me, I became really protective her. When that happened, I saw her differently too⏤she really didn't even look the same to me anymore. She just looked like a little girl who needed my help. I wasn't able to help her at the time, but I'm going to try again." The tension in the room had grown thick, so I forced laugh. "I feel like I'm telling you I lost track of a kid I was babysitting in the mall." The tension broke and my mom laughed. Dad forced a smile, not buying it.

"I lost you in the mall once," Mom confessed. "I looked in the Disney Store first, then Claire's, but of course you were in Borders, surrounded by books." I laughed and shook my head. I had no memory of that day, but I believed her. That sounded about right.

"Well, I came in to tell you most of us are taking off for a little while. Carlisle and Esme are coming with us this time, but Jillian is going to come stay with you. Jillian's the other female Saturno, the one Jake imprinted on, and her healing power keeps anyone near her in good health. The house is stocked with everything you could possibly need, and you'll be able to roam the whole house freely. Angela's coming back here too, and all the Clearwaters are coming to stay with you until we get back⏤Sue, Harry, Leah, Seth." I turned to my dad and flashed my brightest smile. "Doesn't that sound like a party? Your favorite fish fry, a few beers, you get to act like you own the place. You'll be our housesitters."

"You can drink again, hun," Dad tried to laugh naturally. "It'll be nice to blow off some steam with some old human friends, right?" Mom nodded, but she was looking at Dad suspiciously. Dad gave me the same look. It was time to go.

I hugged my mom again and kissed Mason. "I love you. I'll see you soon." Dad stood and walked out the door before I could hug him. Following him out into the hall, I hugged him too. He hugged me back, but I could hear his heart hammering, his breath becoming slightly ragged. "I love you. I'll see you soon."

"Don't lie to me, Bells. Please."

I hesitated. "I love you, Dad." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, drawing a slow, deep breath. "This is it," I said. "I'm sorry, but they do need me, and I want to fight beside them, for them. I... I think I'll see you soon. Alice and Peter see us making it inside the castle. They can see all but the very end, and it only goes blank because some of the wolves will be there, including Jake. Carlisle told you what Aro did. Edward, Phil, Billy, Rebecca, nine other young wolves, including two kids. That's just what he's done to us—he's been doing this to innocent people for almost two-thousand years. This is the only way it can end." Dad hugged me again, with all his strength, his tears falling into my hair.

"Because of you, it can finally end... You're my everything, kiddo. I wish I could come with you. I'd be damn proud to fight beside you, but you've already gone somewhere I can't follow… You'd better come back, Bells."

I hugged my dad tightly enough to bruise. He didn't object. He kissed my forehead and I wiped his eyes, my cool fingers calming the red skin so he could put on a brave face for Mom. I heard the sound of feet hitting the ground post-teleportation. "The party's about to start," I said. Dad cleared his throat.

"I love you, Bella. I'll see you soon."

Angela gave me a tearful hug as she passed and wished me good luck. Leah ignored me, but Seth gave me a fist-bump behind her back. Sue smiled at me and promised to take care of my family. Harry bowed his head solemnly and wished me luck. Jillian squeezed my hand and reminded me we were all only seconds apart as long as we had Irwin. I met Irwin outside. Jasper was the only other vampire waiting for teleportation, waiting for me. Jake stood beside them in human form, along with two other wolves I hadn't properly met. I approached Jake slowly, gauging his reaction. His eyes were dark, but the faint smile he gave me warmed my heart. I threw my arms around him and he hugged me back, lifting me off the ground.

"We can do both," he said. "We can live for them and avenge them." He set me back on my feet. "Quil and Embry have officially become world travelers, already in Italy. Bella, meet Devon and Zane. They joined the pack when Victoria and Tristan attacked."

"Thank you for coming," I said awkwardly, struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Whitlock," they both said, nodding in greeting. Jasper stood a little straighter next to me; no one ever addressed me by my married name. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but Jake just rolled his eyes.

"Watching you bite a chunk out of your own arm and burn it pretty much destroyed our ability to think of you as the same old Bella," Jake said, smiling. "It was easier to pretend you were still human at first, but those days are gone." I laughed. If I were human, I would have blushed. "Don't worry about it," Jake said. "You're a badass."

"And Jillian saved my ass," I added.

Two minutes later, we were in Italy, the wolves standing as far from the vampires as they could while remaining within earshot, the five of them struggling to stay in human form while we checked and double-checked the surrounding area for humans. As soon as we got the 'all clear', the wolves shifted and looked infinitely more comfortable in the mixed company. Thirty vampires and five wolves against an estimated fifty-two vampires inside those stone walls in the distance. The odds weren't overwhelming, but they weren't comforting.

Night had fallen, but too many lights were still on. As we were gathered near a pond, Benjamin was able to create a dense fog around us, and we waited. Lysander morphed into my own image under the cover, even recreating the small tear along the hem of my sweater. His scent changed to match mine, the floral balance ever-so-slightly off, but close enough to convince anyone not standing right next to him. When most of the lights in the city had flickered out, we advanced slowly, quietly. When we were within a hundred yards of the eastern city wall, Zafrina ran ahead with Senna and Alanna as her guards. They crouched low in the brush around the southeast corner. Zafrina cut the air with her hand twice, the signal for us to proceed. She had the human portion of the city covered.

"Forward," Marcus urged, and we marched toward the northeast corner. Approaching the city gate, we raised the alarm in no time at all. It was a carefully chosen tactic. Aro was too clever to send his entire Guard to face us, but we would surely draw thirty or so guards out, enough for one-on-one. Exactly thirty Guards came charging down the street. Peter, Char, Maria, Kate, Garrett, Tanya, and Irina ran forward first. They all dropped to their knees right before impact, grabbed the nearest Guards at the waist, and rolled as one, throwing seven Guards toward the waiting wolves. Standing beside them, Jasper, Lysander, and I helped the wolves tear them apart in seconds, Lysander maintaining his Bella-disguise.

"You are tiny," Lysander grumbled. "I should have spent a day like this to get used to it."

Turning to face the rest of the first wave, I saw a bigger problem: Kate was still on the ground. She was writhing in pain, screaming while Garrett fought his hardest to protect her. Looking up, I saw Caius and Jane on top of the city wall. Jane... Caius held her by the collar, and a thick blindfold covered her eyes, preventing her from seeing Jude. I threw my shield out around our group and Kate leapt to her feet. Caius glared at me, then at Lysander. "The shield, fools!" Caius growled. Six Guards vaulted over the group, attacking Lysander and me. Jasper tackled the Guards targeting Lysander, drawing Caius' attention. The wolves came to help me, working faster than Jasper and Lysander, which posed a whole new problem. Caius was whispering to Jane, turning her to face another target. If her gift failed while Lysander was still under attack, everyone would know Lysander was the decoy. I felt a stabbing sensation as Jane's gift hit my shield, and I let it fall. Felix hit the ground, screaming. Benjamin was targeted next. The decoy strategy wasn't working at all. We were losing ground.

"Lysander," I heard Jasper whispering, "Fall back. You need a clear shot at Caius." Lysander could attack Caius telekinetically, giving Jude a chance to reach Jane and remove her blindfold at just the right moment. Our main attack force would make it through. I pushed through the throng to reach Marcus. Seeing my movements, Kate, Garrett, and Irwin fought their way over to join us. I amplified Irwin's gift, and we were taken inside.

Irwin dropped the four of us in Alec's room, expecting it would be empty. It wasn't empty, but we were shocked to come face-to-face with a newborn Gianna. She attacked wildly. Marcus stepped to the side, caught her by the throat, lifted her up and slammed her back to the ground hard enough to take her head off her body. Without batting an eyelash, he threw her head on top of a high shelf, turned on his heel and walked out the door, beckoning for us to follow.

"So this is Marcus," Garrett murmured wryly.

Alec's room was two doors away from Chelsea's, in the northwest corner of the castle. No sound came from the west wing. The north wing was deserted. Rounding the corner into the east wing, we were ambushed by seven Guards, the gorgeous 'fisher' Heidi among them. I grabbed Kate's hand and amplified, allowing her to drop three of our opponents before they could reach us. She, Garrett, and Marcus fell on those three, beheading them quickly before barreling into their next opponents, leaving Heidi to me.

I almost felt bad for Heidi. Though she was centuries older, she was easy to take down. Always the bait the Volturi used to lure in humans, it was obvious this bait had never been bitten. She attacked directly, her moves predictable. I danced around her, dodging every strike, finally grabbing her overextended arm and yanking her forward. Off balance, she lowered her arms go break her fall and I leapt forward to grab her head, pulling up as she fell. Fight over.

An eighth Guard, a male of average height rounded the corner ahead and came toward us at a moderate speed, apparently trying to move silently, though I couldn't see the point. Marcus, Kate, and Garrett were all finishing off their respective opponents. What was this guy thinking?

"They seem to be coming from the entrance hall, possibly the throne room," Marcus said calmly. "Let us proceed." Proceed? I glanced at Kate and Garrett. They were looking at Marcus. The Guard pulled out what looked like a small flamethrower, aiming at Marcus.

"Down!" I yelled, and without pausing to think I threw myself at Marcus, tackling him to the ground. The flame blast missed us by inches. Growling, I attacked the Guard, grabbing the hand with the flamethrower and forcing it upward. I was promptly punched in the stomach, and I failed to dodge a sweeping kick that dropped me to the floor. I wrenched the flamethrower away as I fell and I heard Kate and Garrett gasp.

"Afton," I heard Marcus growl. "Bella, shield us!" I threw out my shield just as the Guard grabbed me by the throat. Kate rushed forward, touching only his hands so I was released when she zapped him, falling into her arms unharmed. Garrett slide-tackled him and rolled on top of him, pinning him down and leaving the kill-strike to Marcus. After he took Afton's head off, Marcus stood and faced me, looking down at me sternly.

"When in doubt, use your shield," he said chidingly. "Project. Your powerful gift does us no good if you forget to use it in the heat of battle. Afton was completely invisible to us." I felt like a foolish child, but then Marcus came closer and gave me a small smile. "You are still very young, and a newborn," he said gently, "and your first instinct was to save me." He took the flamethrower from me. "Thank you, Bella."

"I know I burned the weapons," I said, eyeing the flamethrower and the bodies around us, "but I didn't think to ask what you wanted to do in this position. You didn't burn Gianna... Do you want me to bite anyone?"

"Not right now," Marcus answered. "Once we've taken care of Aro and Chelsea, we will consider our options. I expect you will face Alec on your own at some point tonight. If you wish to free him, by all means do so, but remember we must keep moving forward."

Thirty-two outside. Eight down in the east wing. Twelve left, including Aro and Chelsea, assuming our count was correct. I thought of the others outside. Had the tide turned yet? Was everyone okay? Was Jane safe with Jude? Jasper... I had to believe Jasper was okay. Surely Major Whitlock could handle this.

"Alec," Marcus breathed. The entrance hall, from the front door all the way back to the throne room entrance, was flooded with Alec's disabling smoke. Yes, I could project around the others and take them through it, but as soon as I took a physical hit, my shield would become unreliable, leaving Marcus, Garrett, and Kate frozen in place, unable to do anything. I had to go through alone and face Alec.

"There's no way this isn't a trap!" Kate hissed. "Alec is back there with all the others⏤as soon as Bella takes a step beyond that smoke, she's dead." Garrett put an arm around Kate, a supportive hand on my shoulder.

"Even if everyone else caught up, it would be our only sure way through," he said. "We can't risk her shield being compromised while we're standing in the middle of that."

"If we had the wolves, I could shield Jake back here and the others could get through," I thought aloud, "but I don't sense any humans here. Do you?" The question was rhetorical. "Wolves will run through these halls when human blood is spilled. Maybe there's a human beyond the smoke. Maybe I'll be the one to spill their blood, to buy myself enough time to beat Alec. However this goes down... this part is on me."

"Draw him this way if you can," Marcus instructed. "Throw him this way. If you smell too many opponents waiting to ambush you, come back here. We will have no choice but to walk through with you in that event."

"I've got this," I said unconvincingly. Still, I stepped into the smoke and walked toward the throne room. I recognized Alec's scent, just beyond the doors. No surprise. His gift could only stretch so far. I couldn't smell a human; I hadn't heard a single heartbeat since we'd entered the castle. Though there were many other scents ahead, only two more smelled strong enough to be close. No names came to mind. Low-rank Guards I hadn't interacted with in the past. Three against one and Afton had nearly taken my head off... I couldn't turn back. The three vampires ahead of me would kill the three behind me without hesitation if my shield fell. "I've got this," I breathed.

"Then come in here," Alec whispered. I heard him moving behind the door. I jumped and kicked both doors in, but I didn't go inside. Alec had to scramble out of the way of the doors. Two Guards, a male and a female, stood several feet behind him. There was so much I wanted to say. Three against one? Have you no sense of honor? Courage? I remained silent and waited. Alec and the other two remained silent. Finally, I had an idea.

"Back up!" I shouted. I wanted Marcus, Garrett, and Kate to back up. To avoid giving anything away, I looked at the two Guards behind Alec. "Yeah, back up!" I turned back to Alec. "Have some self-respect. I don't need help fighting you. Do you need their help fighting me? You bit me twice last time you fought me," I said, touching the scars inside my elbow and on my neck. "Fight me again, just us." I extended my hand as if asking for a handshake. "A worthy opponent. Come on, act like it." Silence. I waited and waited. Finally, with a condescending smirk, Alec stepped forward and took my hand. He pulled me into the throne room, but that didn't matter. I amplified his gift with all my power.

"Move!" Alec tried to call out a warning, but too late. The throne room was filled with smoke in less than a second, the two Guards backing him up lost to the anesthetic. Alec shook his head, overwhelmed by the feeling of his gift surging out of control. His limbs flailed in a futile attempt to shake me loose. Gripping his one hand in both of mine, I bit deep into his wrist, frantically pumping venom into the wound. Alec thrashed harder. Four seconds, five, six... Alec stopped fighting. I removed my teeth from his wrist but kept my hold on him, slowly decreasing amplification.

"Marcus, Kate, Garrett, can you hear me?" I called out.

"Yes," They replied.

"Alec is free. I've got him. I turned his gift on the other two Guards in here. Be ready to take them in three..." I cut off my amplification and the smoke started receding rapidly, pouring back into Alec. "Two..." Alec relaxed as he took control of his own gift back. "One..." Alec retracted the rest of the smoke. The two Guards blinked, slowly regaining their senses. In an instant, Marcus, Kate, and Garrett were on them, ripping them apart with ease. Garrett laughed grimly.

"Offensive amplification," he mused. "Who would've guessed that would become our greatest weapon."

"Our secret weapon," I half-laughed, helping Alec to his feet. "A minute ago, even I didn't know it would work. When I did that to Irwin, it wasn't so much a calculated choice as a stroke of luck in a moment of blind desperation."

"It's not pleasant," Alec offered, rubbing his head and shielding his eyes like he had a migraine. "I thought my head was going to explode."

"Sorry, Alec," I said, and I did feel horrible about it⏤I owed Irwin another apology.

"No, thank you," he said, looking at me with new eyes. "Is Jane still outside?"

"As far as we know, yes, but her mate is out there with her," Marcus said. "We need your help, Alec. Where are the others? What is their plan?"

Alec shook his head. "I'm sorry, Master Marcus. I do recall seeing Amelia, missing one arm but otherwise intact—"

We all turned when we heard shouts and howls of triumph. We could hear a large group coming toward the castle. Our allies were coming. There was another rumble, but it wasn't coming from outside. There was movement below our feet. "The tunnels," Marcus gasped. He turned back into the hall, running toward the staircase by the lobby elevator. We all started to follow, but as soon as we all stood on the floor Alec's smoke had blanketed minutes before, a bomb went off below us. The explosion made a hole in the floor the size of a small car, and the floor crumbled. We all fell into the tunnel bellow, and we were under attack before we could blink.

"Garrett!" Kate screamed as two Guards pinned her mate to the ground. Two more Guards attacked her, though her gift kept them at bay. Two Guards fell on Alec. Aro and Chelsea attacked Marcus. One male Guard lunged at me. He was about the same size as Felix, nearly as agile as Jasper. I knew I couldn't beat him. I looked for any way around him. If I could just get to Kate or Alec! It was no use. I evaded my opponent for a few seconds, but he managed to pin my arms to my sides, pushing down so I couldn't kick him without falling. We'd come so close! Nine left out of fifty-two! How had it come to this? Bombs? When did these ancient vampires start using bombs? While my opponent held me, someone bit me from behind. Fifty-three. Ten out of fifty-three remained.

"Bella!" It was Jasper. He was close. I opened my mouth to call out to him, but I'd become strangely dizzy, achy, and then the burning started. The male vampire holding me let go and ran to help the Aro and Chelsea. What...? I felt weak, but I struggled against the vampire behind me. Female. Tall. Her teeth were still in my neck, so I was afraid to thrash too hard. The burn was spreading, getting worse. I twisted my arms behind my back to grab her arms. My left hand touched her arm, but she pulled it from my grasp. My right hand found her right side... there was no right arm. A blinding pain lanced through my entire body and I screamed. I felt my venom boiling, my skin shattering and reforming, softening. It took days for humans to become vampires, but the reversal happened in seconds, and it was so much more painful. When Amelia finally pulled her teeth out of me, blood flowed from the wound.